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SCOTTSDALE, ARIZ – FEB. 13: Bruce Bochy, beginning his thirteenth season as manager of the San Francisco Giants, watches the first day of spring training at Scottsdale Stadium in Scottsdale, Ariz., Wednesday, Feb. 13, 2019. Today he announced he will retire at the end of the season. (Karl Mondon/Bay Area News Group)

PEORIA, Ariz.–Bruce Bochy’s ride as the longest-tenured manager in baseball will come to an end on the final day of the Giants’ season.

Ichiro Suzuki’s run as the oldest active position player will likely finish sooner.

As Ichiro’s Mariners prepare for a trip to the outfielder’s home country of Japan and the Giants gear up for Bochy’s last year in the dugout, a pair of future Hall of Famers acknowledged one another Wednesday evening in Peoria.

After Ichiro and teammate Jay Bruce exited their game against the Giants, the duo approached the visiting dugout to congratulate Bochy on his upcoming retirement. Even by the relaxed standards of spring training, it was a rare but much appreciated gesture.

“I get it, it’s spring training and people are probably like, ‘Well you’re supposed to hate each other,’ but this was pretty cool to see,” Giants starter Derek Holland said. “Guys like that come over to the dugout and say stuff to Boch.”

Ichiro, 45, has expressed a desire to play until he’s at least 50, but the Mariners may no longer have room for him on their roster upon returning from Japan. General manager Jerry DiPoto hasn’t committed to keeping Ichiro beyond the club’s two-game, series-opening trip overseas, leading to speculation that Ichiro could retire in the coming weeks.

“It was nice of him, what a class guy and what a tremendous career he’s had,” Bochy said. “It was good to shake his hand because I don’t know what his situation is to be honest, but he knows mine.”

If Wednesday was the last Cactus League game Ichiro ever participates in, his at-bats came against a pitcher who truly appreciates what Ichiro has meant to the sport.

“He’s been outstanding to watch and in my eyes, that’s a legend. Or as we would call it, a GOAT. He’s been fun to watch all the way through, especially growing up even before I got to face him. I watched him on TV. He had a cannon out in the outfield. Fastest dude out there,” Holland said.

Ichiro finished the night 0-for-2 at the plate against Holland, who used a curveball to strike him out in his first at-bat before firing a fastball on the outer half to catch Ichiro looking later in the game. Despite Ichiro’s struggles Wednesday, Holland said he won’t forget the way Ichiro found ways to get on base.

“We’ve got the shifts and all of this stuff, this guy beat the shifts,” Holland said. “Whatever you did, he found a way to beat it. To me, he’s an unbelievable player and I’ve got nothing but straight up respect for that guy. And he carries himself very well, a super nice guy.”

Holland lasted four-plus innings and gave up four earned runs Wednesday in what will likely be his third-to-last start of the spring. He pitched well at times –striking out six– but admitted he wasn’t quite as sharp as he hoped.

Years from now, the left-hander won’t remember Wednesday’s game for he did on the mound, but instead for the interaction that took place in the visiting dugout.

“Legends respect legends,” Holland said.

News and notes

Bochy is impressed with the way Steven Duggar is playing as he continues to progress following August shoulder surgery. Duggar went 1-for-4 Wednesday and was forced to dive back into first base headfirst on a pair of pickoff attempts. The Giants won’t let Duggar dive in the outfield yet, but they have worked with him on protecting himself once he reaches base.

Catcher Stephen Vogt played five innings in a minor league game Wednesday and is inching closer to catching in a major league game. Vogt went 1-for-3 and threw out a runner trying to steal, which is a great sign for a player coming off shoulder surgery.

Tyler Beede’s run of dominance ended Wednesday as the Mariners tagged Beede for four runs in 1 1/3 innings. The Giants’ defense struggled behind Beede, but Bochy said the right-hander did not have good command of his curveball which led to his struggles.

Non-roster invitee Rene Rivera continues to make a strong push for the backup catcher job and has earned rave reviews from the pitching staff. Rivera is hitting .364 this spring after doubling off the center field wall and finishing 2-for-4 in Wednesday’s loss.

Kerry Crowley is a multimedia beat reporter covering the San Francisco Giants. He spent his early days throwing curveballs in San Francisco’s youth leagues before studying journalism at Arizona State University. Kerry has covered every level of baseball, from local preps to the Cape Cod League, and is now on a quest to determine which Major League city serves the best cheeseburger.